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Seattle Marathon
November 28, 1999
Race Report by Bob Dolphin
The Seattle Marathon weekend turned out to be a busy and exciting
time
for Lenore and me. It started on Friday with nine hours of
volunteering
as supervisors for number pickup at registration1 continued with
two
Salem, Oregon, runners as our Saturday night house guests, and
concluded
with Sunday's running of the marathon for me and over seven hours
of
volunteering at the finish line for Lenore.
Soon after we arrived at the Seattle Westin on Friday, Denny
Brooks
presented us with look-alike black, fleece vests with "Dolphin
Marathon
Team't and a silver dolphin on the front and his logo,
"ontheRuN.com",
on the back. What a pleasant surprise! We'll wear these vests
with
pride.
Then it was time for a fun day of meeting runners, answering
questions,
and helping where we were needed. I was stumped by inquiries
about the
weather for race day. I would reply that it is raining now, and
it
rained big time for the last two marathons. A rainy Seattle
Marathon
is the norm, and one should be pleasantly surprised if it doesn't
rain
during the race.
When I arose on race day, opened the door, and peered into the
early
morning darkness, I looked up and saw stars gleaming betweeen the
patchy
clouds. The streets were dry, and the air temperature was in the
mid-
forties. Hey, we were going to run in nearly ideal conditions!
At 8:15 a.m. on November 28, 1999, a quiet Sunday morning, the
runners
started the marathon at the Seattle Center near the Space Needle.
By
the end of the race it became sunny, and the air temperature
reached
600 F. It was good running all of the way.
Kudos to the race director, board of directors, and volunteers for
putting on a classy event. This was the second year with a new
course
that is more cosmopolitan and scenic than earlier courses. It has
changes and improvements over last year. Most of the concrete
roadways
were eliminated along with a long, steep hill in the last mile.
Now
at the end of the race when the Space Needle comes into view, the
course
runs to it and the finish area by a direct route---rather than the
circuitous route of last year.
And kudos to the SRI Chinmoy group who manned an aid station and
personally cheered my through their area. They sponsor good
races in
the Seattle area throughout the year, so it was great that they
donated
their time to this race, too.
The winner of the 1999 Seattle Marathon was Uli Steidl, 27, of
Erlenbach,
Germany, a graduate chemistry student at the University of
Washington.
At first, he was going to be a "rabbit" for a friend but then
decided
to enter the race as a real competitor. He won in a time of
2:30:05.
He was followed by Paul Kodania (2:33:20) and Trond Ingvaldsen
(2:38:34).
The first woman to finish was Rebecca Gallaher, 25, of Silverdale
who won the women's race with a time of 2:54:22. The next two
women
were Natalie Butler (3:10:00) and Christina Carrigan (3:11:22).
Fellow Marathon Achievers on hand were: Chris Ralph, Judy Fisher,
Rebecca Wallick, Lynn Yarnall, Cheri Gillis, Glenn Tachiyama, Eb
Engel-
mann, Bruce Katter (1st, 65-69M), Mel Preedy (2nd 65-69M), Ron
Nicholl,
Steve Frederickson, Steve Pierce (running his 199th marathon),
Mac
Bohlman, and Russ Akers.
Some of the Marathon Achievers had run the Seward Park 50K Race
in
Seattle the day before. Cheri, Chris, Rebecca, Lynn, Ron and
Steve
Pierce ran these back-to-back races---a remarkable endurance
feat!
Dave Olsho and his wife Lynne Werner were two more runners who
completed
these two events.
Other running friends and acquaintances participated in Sunday's
races,
too. Among those who completed the Half Marathon were Larry
Brown, our
Salem houseguest, who ran a personal best, Courtney Jones from
Ellensburg,
and Gunhild Swanson, a great marathoner from Spokane who is
recovering
from an injury. Those who completed the marathon were: Herb
Allen,
Diana Anderson, Todd Byers, Terry Cliett, Ron Fowler, Ed Galiger,
Jeff
Giesbrecht, Ed Hansen, Davey Jones, Richard Ketchum, Jim Kunz,
Joan
Pribnow, Fenny Roberts (our other Salem houseguest), Carole
Stuhly,
Phil Weiser, Diane Wilcox, Ken Bonner, and Ole Bergset.
Rick Worley, 52, from Kingwood, Texas, was here to run his 188th
marathon in 152 consecutive weekends. He'll complete his
"marathon of
marathons" at #200 on January 16, 2000, at the Houston Marathon.
Lenore
and I will travel to Houston to participate in this big event.
Lenore was excited to be able to put a finisher's medal on a 43
year
old Spokane runner who looked great as she completed her first
race
ever---the Seattle Marathon!! Lori (Lehmbecker) Kory grew up in
Renton
as Lenore 5 next-door neighbor!
I enjoyed my run across and alongside Lake Washington, making a
loop
around Seward Park, and then heading back to the Seattle Center.
I moved
up in the field in the latter miles but dropped off of a 9:00
pace after
15 miles. With the Seattle skyline in view and only two miles to
go
leg cramps became a problem, and I lost a few minutes. I
finished in
4:00:35 (9:11) in 830th position of about 2,000 finishers and 1st
runner in the 70+M category.
My finishing time was my best in
1999 by a minute. When I crossed the line, my favorite finish
line
volunteer, Lenore, placed a finisher's medal around my neck. She
worked
at all three races and stayed until the finishing chute was
dismantled.
Our weekend was a great success!! This marathon had been my 16th
consecutive Seattle Marathon---the one that was the most
enjoyable.
At future races look for the "Dolphin Marathon Team" in their
classy,
new vests.
Written by Bob Dolphin
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